Department for Communities and Local Government

Housing Market

The Earl of Lytton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what evidence they have collected that buy-to-let investors and prospective residential owner-occupiers are in competition in the market for the same properties.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: Whilst private landlords are competing for properties in the same housing market as owner occupiers, the types and locations of properties that they prefer will not always be identical to owner occupiers. Recent research by the Bank of England – see https://bankunderground.co.uk/2015/07/21/five-facts-about-buy-to-let/ - shows that buy to let investors have a greater tendency to purchase apartments and properties in London than owner occupiers.

Green Belt

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 7 June (HL272), what are the National Planning Policy Framework guidelines about what constitutes an exceptional circumstance that necessitates building on Green Belt land.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: Green belts are created and protected by local authorities in line with national policy set out in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). A Green Belt boundary can only be altered where there are exceptional circumstances and only by means of the Local Plan process of public consultation and independent examination.We do not define exceptional circumstances as these can vary from instance to instance. The NPPF however does outline that exceptions in regards to the construction of new buildings in the Green Belt may include:buildings for agriculture and forestry;provision of appropriate facilities for outdoor sport and recreation and for cemeteries as long as it preserves the openness of the Green Belt and does not conflict with the purposes of including land within it;the extension or alteration of a building provided that it does not result in disproportionate additions over and above the size of the original building;limited infilling in villages, and limited affordable housing for local community needs under policies set out in the Local Plan.

Social Rented Housing: Empty Property

Lord Young of Cookham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when the Secretary of State will make a determination under section 69 of the Housing and Planning Act 2016.

Lord Young of Cookham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when local authorities have to make the first payment under section 69 of the Housing and Planning Act 2016.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: Before any determination is issued and any payments made under that determination, regulations on the definition of higher value assets must first be passed by both Houses of Parliament. We are currently working on the detail of the regulations.We shall consult with local authorities and other stakeholders before issuing the determination.

Housing Associations: Right to Buy Scheme

Lord Young of Cookham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when the Secretary of State will commence making grants to private registered providers under section 64 of the Housing and Planning Act 2016.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: Section 64 of the Housing and Planning Act 2016 enables the Secretary of State to pay grant to private registered providers to cover the cost of the voluntary Right to Buy discount. Grant will only be paid out once a tenant has purchased their home and the provider has submitted a claim. Systems are in place with the five housing associations that are taking part in the voluntary Right to Buy pilot so that the Government can compensate them for the discount that their tenants get when they purchase their home.We are currently working with the National Housing Federation and the housing association sector on the implementation of the main scheme and will announce more details in due course.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Overseas Visitors: EU Nationals

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many visitors from the EU came to the UK in (1) 2000, (2) 2010, and (3) 2015.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: In 2010 there were 20.3 million visits to the UK from the EU, and 24.2 million in 2015. This data is not available for 2000. This Government is committed to further increasing the number of visitors to the UK and growing the tourism industry across the whole of Britain, as set out in our Five Point Plan, which can be found on the attached report.



Backing the Tourism Sector - a five point plan
(PDF Document, 8.26 MB)

Tourists: EU Nationals

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the estimated income from tourists from the EU who visited the UK in each of the last five years.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: In 2011, tourists from the EU spent £8.26 billion in the UK. This was £8.28 billion in 2012, £9.19 billion in 2013, £9.55 billion in 2014 and £9.71 billion in 2015. This Government is committed to further growing the tourism industry across the whole of Britain, encouraging more visitors to travel beyond the capital.

Service Industries: EU Nationals

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many hospitality industry employees in the UK were from other EU member states in each of the last five years, and which countries they were from.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: In 2011, 2.8 per cent of employment in all UK tourism industries came from the pre-accession EU 15 member states. An additional 3.9 per cent of employment in all UK tourism industries came from the newer EU states: Poland, Lithuania, Hungary, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Romania, Latvia, Czech Republic, Malta, Estonia, Cyprus, and Slovenia. This data is the most up to date that we hold.

Sports: Drugs

Lord Moynihan: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to (1) extend the powers of UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) to investigate doctors administering performance enhancing drugs to athletes outside the control of British governing bodies of sport, and (2) introduce new powers to enable UKAD to take legal action should such doctors be found to have breached the World Anti-Doping Agency Code; and if so, when.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Government will review the outcomes of the independent review of UK Anti-Doping’s processes following allegations made in the Sunday Times. DCMS is currently undertaking a review of current legislation and, as part of this, will consider the independent review’s findings to determine whether any new powers are necessary.

Sports: Drugs

Lord Moynihan: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they expect the independent review by Andy Ward into UK Anti-Doping's handling of intelligence in relation to Dr Mark Bonar to be finalised, and whether they intend to lay a copy of that report before Parliament.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The review is expected to conclude during the summer. UK Anti-Doping will publish the report.

Sports: Drugs

Lord Moynihan: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, in carrying out its assignment in Russia on behalf of the World Anti-Doping Agency, UK Anti-Doping has at any time (1) been asked for 30 days’ notice of tests by Russian authorities; (2) disputed payments for doping control officers; or (3) faced customs delays preventing the transport of blood samples to laboratories outside Russia within the 48-hour window needed for accurate testing or at any time been unable to match the tests being undertaken by the Russian Anti-Doping Agency to Russian athletes; and if so, on which occasions those events occurred.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: UK Anti-Doping has not been asked to provide 30 days’ notice by Russian authorities. UK Anti-Doping is not involved in the contractual agreement between the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) and sample collection agencies. This would be a matter for RUSADA and the World Anti-Doping Agency. While UK Anti-Doping has encountered challenges due to customs delays, it does not discuss details of its testing programmes as doing so might undermine what it is trying to achieve and the processes involved.

Sports: Drugs

Lord Moynihan: To ask Her Majesty’s Government which new testing techniques have become available in the UK to retest samples for re-analysis from the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic athletes since 2012; how often UK Anti-Doping has used such technology; when that technology was introduced; and for what category of drug testing in sport that technology can be used.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: UK Anti-Doping cannot disclose details of new technology used in relation to retrospective testing as this might undermine what it is trying to achieve when re-testing samples.

Olympic Games: Brazil

Lord Moynihan: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what advice on the risk and potential consequence of infection from the Zika virus during the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Rio 2016 is being given by the British Olympic Association and the British Paralympic Association to members of the British Olympic and Paralympic teams.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The UK Government, the National Travel Health Network and Centre and the British Olympic Association and British Paralympic Association have issued guidance and advice on Zika for those competing and attending the Rio Games. All organisations continue to review and update this guidance and the Government will take into account World Health Organisation guidelines should they be revised following their latest risk assessment. My department and the Department of Health recently convened an Olympic and Paralympic health advisory group including academic experts and cross-government representatives to support the British Olympic Association (BOA) and British Paralympic Association (BPA) in updating their guidance to athletes and staff travelling to Brazil for the Olympics. The Foreign Office will link this to their wider consular campaign ‘Stay ahead of the Games’.

Sports: Drugs

Lord Moynihan: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of support for the "Statute of Limitations" policy pursued by the International Olympic Committee as it impacts on British athletes denied medals by athletes who have subsequently admitted to taking performance-enhancing drugs.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The ‘Statute of Limitations’ policy assists further in the worldwide effort in combatting doping in sport and sends another clear message ahead of Rio 2016 that there is no hiding place for doping cheats. The awarding of medals to athletes who have lost out to competitors who have subsequently tested positive is a matter for the International Olympic Committee. Its 2020 Agenda does however recommend that there should be formal ceremonies to be organised for medal-winners who receive their Olympic medal following the disqualification of a competitor. The Government is supportive of this approach.

Sports: Drugs

Lord Moynihan: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the suspension of the All-Russia Athletic Federation by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) in November 2015 following allegations of state-sponsored doping published by the World Anti-Doping Agency Independent Commission, what is their assessment of whether the All-Russian Athletic Federation should (1) be readmitted at the IAAF Council meeting on 17 June in Vienna, and (2) participate in the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Rio.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The re-enforcement of the ban on the All-Russia Athletic Federation to international competition by the International Association of Athletics Federations demonstrates the need for athletes to compete in a clean sport environment. This was underlined further by the International Olympic Committee announcement that athletes from Russia, Spain and Kenya, countries that are currently non-compliant with the World Anti-Doping Code, that wish to participate in Rio will be subject to a pre-Games testing programme before being admitted to the Games.